Does Malaysia caning herald a more Islamic state?

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A Malaysian state is to proceed with the caning of a Muslim woman who drank alcohol once the holy month of Ramadan is over. Does this herald a more islamic state in the country? See a Q & A by my colleague Niluksi Koswanage on this topic here.

(PHOTO: Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno talks to her father Shukarno from a van belonging to the Islamic Religious Department at her father’s house in Sungei Siput, about 300km (186 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia’s state of Perak August 24, 2009. REUTERS/Zainal Abd Halim (MALAYSIA SOCIETY RELIGION CRIME LAW)

Going the Taliban way for sure
More women are wearing scarves and burkhas
Ban on Liquor leads it away from international trade
Things dont look up for this nation,
If they dont thwart the attempts of islamists.
The recent Indonecia bombings were carried out by a malaysian terrorist. Wakeup Malaysia before its too late.
What next amputaions and beheadings?

wow, one example of the over the top law punishment and the question is asked immediately if whether or not a muslim country is going the extremist way. i know for non-muslims, drinking alcohol and being a drunk is a way of life. how else do u explain how in many western countries, killing some one while u were drunk is considered an accident more so than a crime. like how a guy can be drunk while he raped a woman or a drink and drive and kill a whole family after he runs his car in them. please,let’s save the “islamists” nonsese for the so called “moderate” muslims countries like saudi arabia, egypt, and jordan.

@please,let’s save the “islamists” nonsese for the so called “moderate” muslims countries like saudi arabia, egypt, and jordan.
- Posted by hassan
Hassan: But then why some Muslims think that Saudi Wahabi concept is a foundation of extremism/fundamentalism? May be you don’t.
This is negative discussion.

@Alcholism/rape: To the best of my knowledge, the rapist cannot legally get away by saying he was drunk. But how about in a Muslim nation, a “sober Muslim” who rapes a woman can get away because the victim is unable to produce 4 men who actually witnessed the crime. if she complains and is unable to provide the evidence, she is charged and put into prison. So let us not get into this.

@alcohol/Islam: Alcohol and Urdu poetry [by Muslim shayyars (Poets)] is inseparable and thus is Islam inseparable from Islam. Read about it. Ghalib, Daagh, Zauq all the poets have written on drinking alcohol and are revered by people like you perhaps. Should I call it a hipocrisy. Many poets compare Maikhana (bar) to Mosque in their poetry, sufis (Waris Shah) have sung on drinking 5 times at Nammaz times but still be in love with Allah. let not the “moderates in Saudi Arabia” dictate you the rules. You do not want to drink I appreciate, do not keep in your head that Allah said drinking is bad and whosever drinks a drop is a bad guy. This is illiteracy of its own kind. Thsi is in a Muslims’s head that drinking is bad. All they picture is guy rolling in a drain or raping a woman. Guys come off this BS.

‘Caning for repent’, ‘Caning to deter’, ‘Caning to educate’, ‘Caning to teach’.
Repent – ‘Oh Syariah court please punish me for I have sins, Pls cane me for I repent.’ How certain are we that an offender has fully repent? To an alcoholic if the caning is just a symbol, I believe that it defeats the purpose. Just look at drug addicts, to be caned but yet the offence is done over and over again. Moreover, in Islam that is such a thing as ‘Sembahyang Taubat’ or Repent prayer whereby an offender feel disgrace in the eyes of Allah and he/she will perform it and not do it again. If Kartika had performed such prayers, can any mortal questioned her repentance? Or if only the caning is done will society believe that she had repented.

Deter – Why should caning for deter be done to symbolise it? To deter starts from society. ‘Sale of tobacco under 18 is prohibited’. Is there a sign mentioning that ‘Sale of alcohol to Muslim is prohibited’? Deterance is an act of community and is not a punishment.

Educate – The consuming of alcohol is prohibited when someone commits slander during the time of the prophet. The offender had cause a public nuisance and as such it has to be banned. The man was punish to educate the offender and the whole community. Yet again how is caning of Kartika symbolises caning to educate? She has been a Muslim for the past 32 years and has been educated by the Islamic society around her. Is Kartika knowledge on Islam really shallow? Is the society around her to be blamed? During the prophet time, Islam is at his peak and an offender is punish for drinking alcohol to educate is valid as perhaps he is new to Islam.

Teach – To teach a Muslim by caning is harsh be it a symbolic caning. How much can we teach? A child can be cane by the parents so as to teach him/her the right and wrong. What about an adult? Should an adult Muslim be caned if he ignores the Friday prayers?

SHould this whipping be done in public? So as to get the message to Islamic community? By not whipping we are all aware that Kartika’s sins has tarnish her family’s name all over Asia and now the world. She has given the message to all. Should society disgraced her further? Is that an Islamic faith? Is that what we want to reflect about Islam?

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I cover commodities in southerrn Africa, a region that I have returned to after spending over four years covering religion, politics and the Great Recession in America. I am a Canadian citizen and grew up in Nova Scotia.